Thought I would share my successful project details for those who are looking to do the same. I searched through the forums, got some good tips here, so thanks to all the posters. I'll outline a summary of mounting and wiring my Escort 8500, same instructions would apply to the Valentine V1, which I have in my other car...
I decided it was going to be easier to tap into the cigarette lighter wiring than try to go through the firewall to the fusebox, since there does not appear to be a switched circuit in the dome, and I didn't feel like searching the rest of the car for one.
1. Remove the plastic cover on the dome lights. Just squeeze / pull gently from both sides and it will snap off.
2. Remove the dome lamp assembly - there are two clips on the edge that faces the rear of the cabin, so try pulling down from here first. Another small clip on either side of the assembly and it should pop right out.
3. remove the passenger side vanity mirror, as this will facilitate running the wire under the trim. I started by pushing the end of the cord through at the point where the A pillar trim meets the roofline, threaded it underneath this upper trim, then out into the dome light area. Check where you want the unit mounted to allow for enough wire. I mounted mine right above the mirror on the driver's side, the suction cups just missing the black dot layer on the windshield, so I left 3 inches of cable out. Note that if you use the standard Escort cable, there will only be a couple of extra inches left at the other end, so don't pull excess cable through...
4. Replace the dome light assembly and visor at any time.
5. On the trailing edge of the A pillar, you can pull away the black rubber seal and poke the cable in with a flat tipped screwdriver, all the way down. Make sure the seal is reseated over the A pillar trim. You can continue poking the cable in behind the trim panel down by the door / passenger footwell area, and you will not see any wire exposed anywhere.
6. Under the glove box is a panel held in place by three star-head auto screws. Remove the screws, which will loosen this panel, and you can poke the wire up in there out of sight. Suggest you don't put these screws back just yet.
7. Lower the passenger seat all the way, and move the seat as far back as it will go.
8. Remove the trim on the side of the transmission tunnel - it is easier than it sounds. Gently pull back on the lower left edge of the panel and the first couple of clips will pop out. Continue gently pulling the panel away from the transmission tunnel, moving forward. The last couple of clips are located in the dash, so you will need to gently pull the panel towards the back of the car. There is not much to see here, but don't worry, or take any more screws out. I tried going in from the side, but was not succcessful.
9. Remove the gear shift boot / leather cover. I was able to squeeze mine on both sides, while pulling up on it where the leather boot meets the console trim and it snapped right out. You may have to use a flat screwdriver head wrapped with a thin cloth to pry it out. You don't have to take the boot off, just raise it up over the shifter.
10. Turn the ignition on which will allow you to shift out of park, move the shifter back all the way for easier access. If you close the drivers side door, the "key in ignition" warning will turn itself off.
11. If you look down in the space at the front of the gear shift area, you will see the side of the cigarette lighter, and the wiring that connects it. The wiring is wrapped in black insulating fabric, and there are a few extra inches of wiring that you will not see, actually routed towards the front of the car. A flashlight comes in handy here.
12. This is probably the step that takes the most patience. Going in through the space in front of the shifter, you need to poke that wiring out between the plastic cover of the transmission tunnel and the carpet. I used a thin wood dowel, not wanting to risk piercing anything with a screwdriver, but you can improvise as needed. You will need to work the excess cable loose by pushing down on the wiring, taking care not to rip it out of the bottom of the cigarette lighter. Remember, be patient! Once you have poked it through, you can actually pull the rest of the cable out working towards the front of the car.
13. Once you have the cable exposed, carefully slit the insulation fabric to expose three wires. The brown is the ground, and the green/black is power. Do not tap into the third, skinny cable. The radar wire from step 6 will be in the general vicinity and you can splice the wires in. I used clamp connectors, then a little electrical tape to hold it all together.
14. At this point I tested everything. Radar detector comes on with ignition, cigarette lighter works, and no fuses blown.
15. Push the wire back under the plastic on the transmission tunnel, so that the fuse on the detector wire is all the way at the front of the of the tunnel, where it meets the passenger side glovebox. One, there is more space for it and two, it is more accessible in the unlikely event you have to change that fuse.
16. Reseat the shifter boot cover, and then the trim on the side of the transmission. Start at the front, snapping the connectors in, working towards the rear. You have to get the front facing ones in first, or the trim clips will not line up properly as you move back.
17. Poke any remaining exposed wire up under the passenger glovebox, and finally replace the screws on ther panel underneath the glovebox.
18. Have a beer!
Hope this helps!
I decided it was going to be easier to tap into the cigarette lighter wiring than try to go through the firewall to the fusebox, since there does not appear to be a switched circuit in the dome, and I didn't feel like searching the rest of the car for one.
1. Remove the plastic cover on the dome lights. Just squeeze / pull gently from both sides and it will snap off.
2. Remove the dome lamp assembly - there are two clips on the edge that faces the rear of the cabin, so try pulling down from here first. Another small clip on either side of the assembly and it should pop right out.
3. remove the passenger side vanity mirror, as this will facilitate running the wire under the trim. I started by pushing the end of the cord through at the point where the A pillar trim meets the roofline, threaded it underneath this upper trim, then out into the dome light area. Check where you want the unit mounted to allow for enough wire. I mounted mine right above the mirror on the driver's side, the suction cups just missing the black dot layer on the windshield, so I left 3 inches of cable out. Note that if you use the standard Escort cable, there will only be a couple of extra inches left at the other end, so don't pull excess cable through...
4. Replace the dome light assembly and visor at any time.
5. On the trailing edge of the A pillar, you can pull away the black rubber seal and poke the cable in with a flat tipped screwdriver, all the way down. Make sure the seal is reseated over the A pillar trim. You can continue poking the cable in behind the trim panel down by the door / passenger footwell area, and you will not see any wire exposed anywhere.
6. Under the glove box is a panel held in place by three star-head auto screws. Remove the screws, which will loosen this panel, and you can poke the wire up in there out of sight. Suggest you don't put these screws back just yet.
7. Lower the passenger seat all the way, and move the seat as far back as it will go.
8. Remove the trim on the side of the transmission tunnel - it is easier than it sounds. Gently pull back on the lower left edge of the panel and the first couple of clips will pop out. Continue gently pulling the panel away from the transmission tunnel, moving forward. The last couple of clips are located in the dash, so you will need to gently pull the panel towards the back of the car. There is not much to see here, but don't worry, or take any more screws out. I tried going in from the side, but was not succcessful.
9. Remove the gear shift boot / leather cover. I was able to squeeze mine on both sides, while pulling up on it where the leather boot meets the console trim and it snapped right out. You may have to use a flat screwdriver head wrapped with a thin cloth to pry it out. You don't have to take the boot off, just raise it up over the shifter.
10. Turn the ignition on which will allow you to shift out of park, move the shifter back all the way for easier access. If you close the drivers side door, the "key in ignition" warning will turn itself off.
11. If you look down in the space at the front of the gear shift area, you will see the side of the cigarette lighter, and the wiring that connects it. The wiring is wrapped in black insulating fabric, and there are a few extra inches of wiring that you will not see, actually routed towards the front of the car. A flashlight comes in handy here.
12. This is probably the step that takes the most patience. Going in through the space in front of the shifter, you need to poke that wiring out between the plastic cover of the transmission tunnel and the carpet. I used a thin wood dowel, not wanting to risk piercing anything with a screwdriver, but you can improvise as needed. You will need to work the excess cable loose by pushing down on the wiring, taking care not to rip it out of the bottom of the cigarette lighter. Remember, be patient! Once you have poked it through, you can actually pull the rest of the cable out working towards the front of the car.
13. Once you have the cable exposed, carefully slit the insulation fabric to expose three wires. The brown is the ground, and the green/black is power. Do not tap into the third, skinny cable. The radar wire from step 6 will be in the general vicinity and you can splice the wires in. I used clamp connectors, then a little electrical tape to hold it all together.
14. At this point I tested everything. Radar detector comes on with ignition, cigarette lighter works, and no fuses blown.
15. Push the wire back under the plastic on the transmission tunnel, so that the fuse on the detector wire is all the way at the front of the of the tunnel, where it meets the passenger side glovebox. One, there is more space for it and two, it is more accessible in the unlikely event you have to change that fuse.
16. Reseat the shifter boot cover, and then the trim on the side of the transmission. Start at the front, snapping the connectors in, working towards the rear. You have to get the front facing ones in first, or the trim clips will not line up properly as you move back.
17. Poke any remaining exposed wire up under the passenger glovebox, and finally replace the screws on ther panel underneath the glovebox.
18. Have a beer!
Hope this helps!
Senior Member
If you want a real challenge try to find a way to route a rear lazer shifter cabke from the rear license plate to under the dash without drilling any holes....
Took me about 8 hours to work that one out...
Took me about 8 hours to work that one out...
